


When It All Goes Wrong

by vampcoffeegyrl23



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: F/M, Written years ago, major angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27856849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampcoffeegyrl23/pseuds/vampcoffeegyrl23
Summary: Lucas/Peyton. Originally inspired by my reaction to the 6.17 promo, finished after watching the 6.24 finale. (transfer from ff.net)
Relationships: Peyton Sawyer/Lucas Scott
Kudos: 3





	When It All Goes Wrong

When had it all gone wrong?

Peyton Sawyer rested her elbows on the back of the chair, one of her hands on her head and the other hand around her arm. She stared out the window of the nursery Lucas had just decorated at all the happy people in the neighborhood. There was a woman kissing who was assumed to be her husband as he put his briefcase in the car and got in. As he drove away, the woman blew a kiss and waved. It was then that the woman briefly rest her hand on her stomach and the blonde cringed.

It hadn't been too long ago when Peyton had been doing the same thing. In the day before everyone knew she was pregnant, she was constantly finding every fleeting moment she could when she thought no one was looking to feel where there was a new life growing inside of her . . . the life that she and Lucas had created together. Of course, she hadn't stopped doing that when everyone found out. They all thought it was cute, lightly teasing her about it.

She was about four or five months along now . . . just barely with her stick-thin figure showing a very slight baby bump.

Baby.

A tear slid down her cheek. This wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be happy. Luke was supposed to be happy. They were supposed to be celebrating becoming parents. They weren't supposed to have to make a choice like this. Or actually, as the doctor had put it, _she_ had to make the choice because it was _her_ body.

Why did bad things always have to happen to her? People leave, they die, they pretend to be someone they're not . . . She'd lost too many people already . . .

She didn't think she could handle losing a child.

Lucas was angry with her because she was willing to risk her life for the baby . . . and even though the baby was his too . . . he just couldn't understand what she was going through. He hadn't been carrying new life for over four months. He wasn't there the day she'd found out she was pregnant instead of having cancer. The doctor ruled it out and told her she was just pregnant. Why had he missed _this_ though?

Placental abruption.

Ever since her senior year of high school, she'd been dreading any thought of cancer. She knew that because her birth mother, Ellie, had died of breast cancer there was a chance she could get it . . . but she never thought it would something else that would threaten her...

They hadn't told anyone yet . . . about what was threatening her and the baby. So far just she, Lucas, and the doctor (a different one than who'd told her she was pregnant) knew. They were still trying to deal with it themselves. She just couldn't understand how Lucas could "get rid" of their baby so easily. It was their baby, their child, a new little piece of them . . . how could she just let that go?

More tears made their way down her face as she felt a presence in the room and heard her fiance's shuffling feet.

* * *

_It wasn't long after they got home from the doctors they both found themselves separated. She lay on their bed on her side, crying her eyes out in her pillow. Lucas had tried to comfort her but she pushed him away. She couldn't handle this . . . it was just too much and she needed to be alone._

_The day had started out with wonder and a little bit of annoyance. She woke up to find that her fiancé had never come to bed. The first two thoughts that entered her mind were, A: Why hadn't he come to bed? And B: What the hell was he doing? She'd looked over at the door and saw her insomniac fiancé standing in the doorway, leaving against the wall, staring at her. She'd teased him mercilessly about not coming to bed and he came over to the bed and pulled off the blankets, saying it was time to get up._

_He'd led her down the hall out of their bedroom and down the hall. They'd stopped at the door to his old bedroom. "You're really going to feel bad when you see my surprise."_

_"Oh yeah?" She challenged, teasing him again, "Is that surprise the reason you didn't come to bed last night . . ."_

_"Maybe," He looked down at her, smiling. "Ready to have your world rocked?"_

_Her face scrunched in pain as her stomach felt like it was on fire and someone was ripping it apart. "Ow . . ." She fell back, but Lucas caught her. "Ow!"_

_"Peyton . . ." There was serious concern in his voice as she leaned against his arm down on the floor._

_"Oh god, not again . . ." Peyton was finding it really hard to breathe now as the pain increased._

_"Is this like the pain you felt the day before you found out you were pregnant?" Lucas asked her._

_Peyton shook her head, taking huge deep breaths, "N-no . . . worse . . ."_

_"I'm taking you to the emergency room . . ." Peyton really didn't argue as Lucas picked her up, grabbed the car keys, and headed out the door._

_Once at the doctors they'd been told that Peyton was having a boy and was at serious risk for a placental abruption if she kept the baby. Their best option was to terminate the pregnancy . . ._

_Laying on the bed now Peyton's heart was really hurting. She didn't want to lose her babies . . . but if she kept them she could lose both herself_ and _the baby . . ._

* * *

"Peyton?" Lucas's voice shook her from her thoughts.

She turned around and saw him with a stuffed animal in his hands. She noticed it was the Ravens bear that Nathan and Haley had given them not long ago. Whitey had given the other Scott pair one when Jamie was born and they thought that Lucas and Peyton's new little Scott should have one too.

Now, who knew if there would even be another little Scott . . .

"How are you feeling?" Lucas asked her.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm fine." She winced. That came out a little harsher than she wanted it to. She could tell her harshness stung him . . . after all he was just concerned about her and all she did was give him the Ice Queen freeze-off. She stood up and went over to him, hugging his waist tight. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean it like that."

He, too, held on to her tight-but not too tight, "We're both upset. This is a lot for anyone to have to go through."

"I can't do this, Lucas," Her voice cracked, "I can't lose them . . ."

"Peyton . . ." Lucas started to say but she shook her head, walking away.

"No," She barely managed to breathe out in between her huffs of sudden anger. She turned back to face him. "Don't you say it, Lucas Scott. Don't you dare tell me to to—" She couldn't even say it. They both knew what she meant though. Neither of them wanted to lose their son.

"How could this happen in a month?" Lucas sounded as she felt . . . totally helpless and defeated.

"It only takes a moment, Luke," Peyton spoke softly. "Our whole lives have been based on split-second decisions that have either brought happiness or loss."

Ellie giving Peyton up for adoption. Her mother's death resulting from the decision to run a red light. His father's decision to marry Deb instead of Karen. Lucas joining the Ravens. Nathan and Haley getting married at a very young age. Lucas and Peyton seeing each other behind Brooke's back. Haley going on tour with Chris Keller and the Wreckers. Someone releasing the time capsule. Jimmy Edwards deciding to takes years of pain and bullying back. Lucas going back into the school to save Peyton and Keith going in to save Lucas. Dan shooting his brother. Lucas ambushing Peyton with a sudden proposal. Nathan getting into a fight which resulted in 4 months of not being able to walk. Peyton and Brooke coming back to Tree Hill after 4 years away. Lucas proposing to Lindsay. Lindsay leaving Lucas at the alter. Lucas choosing to call Peyton to Las Vegas . . .

"I can't lose you . . ." It was so soft she could barely hear what he'd said.

She sighed. "I know you don't want to lose me and I don't want to lose me either . . ." She walked back up to him and held his hands up. "We can't just be thinking about ourselves anymore, Luke." She paused, letting that sink in. "We have a new little life that is depending on us now."

"The doctor said it's still early enough that in the pregnancy that if we terminate it, you will be fine," Lucas had that serious tone in his voice whenever someone he loved was hurting. "We can always have another baby later, Peyton."

"Lucas, we have a baby now," Peyton dropped his hands, gesturing with her stomach. "We already have a baby. You saw its a heartbeat, you saw its little tiny fingers . . ."

"No! Stop it!" Lucas yelled.

"No, I'm not going to stop it!" Peyton shouted back, on the verge of tears. "Damnit Lucas, I can't let him go . . . I can't let my baby go . . ."

His eyes immediately softened and he held on to her shoulders. "You have this baby . . . you could die." He pulled her in and hugged her close. He walked them over to the dresser and they sat down on the floor, holding each other, and leaning against the hard wood. Each had a hand over their son. Peyton's other hand was on Lucas's chest and Lucas's other arm was around her shoulders. Lucas kissed the top of her head.

"When did it all go wrong, Luke?" Peyton whispered.

"I don't know, Peyton . . . I don't know . . ." Lucas said.

Together the two just sat there, in each other's arms, with a hand still resting over their son. Neither of them knew what the next moment would bring . . . but all they could do was be there for each other and hope for the best.

* * *

How could this happen in a month?

Lucas Scott held his fiancé tight as they sat on the floor together, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Peyton cried softly, her tears falling on his shoulder. He just couldn't believe that this was real. Just a few months earlier they'd announced their engagement. They'd never been happier. They'd lived daily in a state of bliss . . . always kissing and annoying their friends with their happiness. That hadn't changed after that fateful phone call when he'd found out he was to become a father. If anything it only increased their joy.

Now there was a chance he wasn't going to become a father . . .

Peyton was masking her fear through jokes and quips . . . but he could never do that. He was so afraid of losing her and having to raise this child on his own. How was he supposed to look at a child who looked, sounded, and acted exactly like her for the rest of his life when he knew that there had been a chance to keep her alive? He would love the child, sure . . . but how would the child feel growing up having a father who wished his mother was there instead of him? He couldn't do that to his son.

Lucas knew that his mother had done everything she could for him growing up . . . at the expense of her own life. It wasn't until Lucas was in high school that his mother finally started doing the things she'd always wanted to do. She went to Italy, she took business courses, and now she traveled the world with Lily and Andy. She was one of the most selfless people he had ever known . . . but he also knew people who weren't . . .

. . . Lucas didn't want to become his father. He didn't want to inflict his lost dreams on his son or daughter as Dan had done to Nathan. Lucas was afraid that if Peyton wasn't there . . . he'd lose track of who he really was and start taking it out on everyone else. He didn't want to end up old, angry, and hated by the ones he loved. He couldn't live with himself if he let himself get that far.

"It scares me, Peyton," Lucas whispered.

"It'll be okay," Her voice cracked despite her vain attempt at a smile. He knew she was just as scared as he was.

They needed to stay realistic about this. "What if it's not?"

"It will be," Peyton's voice was a little stronger. "We are going to dance at this kid's wedding. And we are going to spoil our grandkids together. I know it." Lucas pictured everything she said in his mind. Them, older, together, hands holding each other, slowly dancing, as their daughter or son stared his or her spouse lovingly in the eyes. Them, older still, still together, hands still firmly intertwined, as a little boy and a little girl opened a mound of presents under a beautiful Christmas tree with their parents nearby. "I'm doing this. I'm having this baby."

"No," He shook his head. She looked up at him. His hand gently rested over her stomach, between her hands, over their son. She moved her hand over his. He looked straight into her eyes and held her tighter. " _We're_ having this baby." They stared at each other for a few seconds before Peyton buried her head in his chest. He rested his chin on top of her hand and held her closer. A smile grew on his face as he closed his eyes . . . seeing the rest of their lives. Their lives together . . .with their son.

Fate and destiny wouldn't give up on them. They had survived so many things in their lives already and they made it—through everything. They were together. They were going to survive this too—together. They were going to have a happy ending—all three of them . . .

As if he somehow knew, their child began kicking from inside her stomach, and Lucas and Peyton smiled. The comet would live on . . .

* * *

It isn't supposed to be like this.

Blood dripped from not only Lucas's shirt, hands, and pants . . . but from his new wife. He holds her in his arms in a way that is all too familiar—only this time it's not a bullet threatening her life—as he runs down the hall of the hospital. He's really starting to hate hospitals. Too many people he loves never come out alive or nearly come close to it.

He knew something like this was going to happen . . . deep in the back area way behind his heart. He knew. He'd asked her at the reception how she was feeling and protested when she wanted to dance. Hiding behind the happy but proud father who just became a husband was the boy who always worried about Peyton. They both very well knew that the day the baby was born could be the day she or the baby or both could die. They knew that. They had known that since the day she collapsed in pain in his arms right outside the nursery.

He'd been living in fear ever since that day.

Now he may lose her forever . . .

The doctors and nurses crowded around him and transferred Peyton to a moving bed and rolled her down the hall. Before he knew what was happening she was out of his sight . . . while he was left behind with her blood-stained on his clothes and skin. He didn't know whether or not he'd ever see her alive again . . .

He knew he shouldn't have agreed to push up the wedding date. A wedding was too much stress. She shouldn't have been up and around in heels and a fancy dress. She should have been at home in sweats and adorable bad bed-hair complaining that she was bored.

He was always saving her . . . but he couldn't save her from this. This time it was up to the doctors. He'd gotten her to the hospital and that was all he could do. Now he had to watch as his wife and child's lives dangled by a thread, totally helpless to do anything.

"Mr. Scott?" It was a nurse.

He followed the nurse to a viewing room where down below several other doctors and nurses were crowded around Peyton. She lay unconscious in the middle of the room on a table with her arms spread out to the sides.

The scene was unsettling and all too familiar for Lucas. It was the same setting as when his mom was pregnant with his sister Lily and he was in the delivery room when she was born. Peyton lay in the same position, the viewing room was the same, and he still held the terrifying feeling in his gut that he could lose two very important people in his life today.

He leaned forward with his hands on the glass, sweat dripping down his forehead. He didn't know if he could handle this feeling again. What if he lost Peyton? What if they lost the baby? What if he lost both? How could he just stand here when the two most important people in his life were in danger? He stood back up, leaning back. Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he instantly knew who it was. He hadn't heard the door open or close but he knew.

"They will be fine," Haley gave his shoulder a little squeeze. "She'll make it through. They both will."

Looking on as the doctors and nurses bustled around his wife wasn't very convincing. That and the increasing noises from all the machines. Next thing he knew there was a doctor with a huge scalpel in his hands. The blade got closer and closer to his wife's abdomen and before Lucas could even react to that there was blood and there were about three doctors with gloved-hands inside his wife's stomach.

"Don't freak out, big brother. It's okay," Nathan appeared behind him, patting him on the back while he put his other hand on Haley's shoulder. She held his hand up on her shoulder.

"She's strong," Now Brooke stood next to Haley. "She's a fighter."

"She's going to make it, Lucas," Now Julian was in the room as well, taking his place behind Brooke.

A cry echoed through the glass and Lucas's senses went on high alert. "It's a girl!" The doctor holding the slimy newborn looked straight up at Lucas and held the baby up. The girl's cries were loud and she had a beautiful bald head.

It was a miniature version of Peyton, literally.

The incessant beeps increased to an alarming rate and Lucas's eyes jerked around the room down below. "We're losing her!" A nurse took the crying baby from the doctor and left the room.

The remaining staff surrounded Peyton like ants at a picnic and Lucas began hyperventilating. He rushed forward with his hands again against the glass. "Peyton!" He shouted.

Nathan, Haley, Brooke, and Julian pulled him back away from the glass. "Lucas, let the doctors do their job."

So he did.

* * *

Two days later Lucas really didn't feel any better than he did when he stood in the viewing room watching his wife get cut open and his child whisked away to another room.

Peyton was still unconscious and the baby was ready to be taken home.

He didn't think he could do this alone for much longer, let alone . . .

Untouched glasses of rootbeer floats scattered the rooms.

Lucas poured root beer into another glass filled with ice cream. He set the bottle back down on the table, "You know if I keep letting these root beer floats go to waste I'm going to have to start drinking them." He chuckled. He turned to look at Peyton, and then back at the root beer floats. "I'm kidding," He said out loud. "They'll be here when you wake up."

He took a deep breath, "You know who else will be here when you wake up is our, god our beautiful daughter." He smiled, thinking of every feature that their baby shared with her mother. "She's, uh," He laughed "You should see her, she's amazing, Peyton." He looked into his wife's closed eyes. "But she needs you. So do I. Come on, you promised. You promised." Unwanted tears stung his eyes and he looked away. He couldn't do this much longer.

"Mr. Scott?" A nurse poked her head in the room. Lucas ignored her. "Mr. Scott, we're still waiting for your decision on the name. The newspaper announcement goes out tonight and they need an answer."

Lucas took a deep breath, "I don't know."

The nurse sighed, coming deeper into the room. She started checking the machines that Peyton was hooked up to. "If you like, we can provide you with books to help you choose a name."

"Thanks . . . but I don't need any books," Lucas's mouth twisted into a weak smile if only to keep the nurse off his back.

"The sooner, the better," the nurse said. He could see the pity all over her face. He neither needed nor wanted her pity. The doctors and nurses who came in and out of the room all had that same look. He wondered how many times they'd seen this exact situation. How many did they lose? And how many made it?

Lucas really needed Peyton to make it.

The nurse left and as the door closed it opened again. "Hey, buddy." Haley and Jamie came into the room. Jamie sat in the chair in the corner, a bag full of toys and other things on his arm. Haley carried a vase of flowers and set them on the counter before sitting on the arm of the chair Lucas was on. She put her arm around his shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

Lucas took a deep breath, "I don't know how much longer I can do this, Hales."

"You just have to let her heal," Haley said. "The doctor said she would wake up when she's ready and you just have to trust in that."

"It's been two days," Lucas sighed.

"I know," Haley said, "Just give her a little more time. Take it day by day."

Lucas looked at Peyton again, watching her chest rise and fall with every breath her body took. "The baby's ready to be taken home . . . and they want me to give her a name."

Haley took a deep breath. She dug in her purse and pulled out a dollar bill. "Jamie, sweetie." The boy looked up from his toys. "Honey, here's a dollar. Why don't you go get yourself a snack, okay?" Her son nodded and took the dollar.

"Uncle Lucas, don't be sad," Jamie put his hand on his uncle's back, "Aunt Peyton will be okay."

"Thanks, buddy," Lucas smiled weakly at his nephew's confidence and ruffled the boy's hair. Jamie left and Haley stood up. She walked around Peyton's bed to the other side.

"Hey Peyton," Haley picked up her sister-in-law's hand, "We're all waiting for you to wake up so don't take too long, okay?"

"Haley what am I going to do if she doesn't wake up?" Lucas's voice caught.

"Don't think like that," Haley let Peyton's hand drop, "But . . ."

Lucas looked up.

"If it comes to that you will be fine," Haley assured him, "You have so many people who will be there for you whenever you need them." She backed up and sat in a chair, her hands on the rail of the bed. "Don't listen to the doctors, Lucas, okay? Give them her name when you're ready to."

"I don't have one," Lucas whispered, "We decided to wait until after the wedding to start picking names. I don't have one . . ."

Haley took a deep breath, "Well . . ." Jamie came back in the room with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand. "I don't know what to tell you, Lucas . . . but if it comes to it—you might have to pick one yourself. I know you don't want to and you want to pick it together . . . but that might not be an option." She turned to Jamie. "Come on, buddy. Let's get you to school, okay?" The boy mumbled an 'okay' behind a mouthful of cookies and started picking up his toys.

Before Lucas could even think about what Haley said they were gone and it was just Lucas and Peyton in the room again. He pulled his cellphone out of his jacket pocket and dialed a familiar number. It rang before someone answered it. "Brooke? I need you to sit with Peyton for a little while . . ."

* * *

Keith's old mustang pulled up in front of Karen's old home, pulling in the driveway. Lucas shut off the engine and just sat there. He hadn't been there since the day of the wedding . . . the day his daughter had been born. He thought of the newly-fixed untouched comet in the garage. Peyton didn't even know about it yet.

A cry from the backseat reminded Lucas that his daughter was back there. It was her first car ride, about to be her first time in the home she would grow up in . . .

Peyton was missing it, all of it.

At two days old, his little girl was already a joy in his life—despite the fact her mother may never see her. She still had no name. He'd decided after talking to Haley to wait. Peyton and he were supposed to decide that together. The hospital had protested, saying she needed a name before they could release her, but he didn't care. He was bringing his baby girl home today. He'd had both of his girls in the hospital . . . and the sooner both of them got out the better.

He pulled the keys out of the ignition, pocketing them. He turned to the back. "You ready to go home?" The newborn gurgled, waving her arms and legs around. "I wish your mother was here to see this. You are so adorable." Bubbles blew up from her little mouth. "You know, you look exactly like your mommy." More incomprehensible noises gurgled from the backseat. Lucas chuckled. "Okay, little girl. Let's get you inside."

He opened the door and got out before pulling the seat back so he could get the baby out. He unstrapped the car seat and gently picked the little body up. She was warm against his chest and he held her close, feeling her strong little heartbeat.

He remembered the first time he'd heard his daughter's heartbeat, the day he went to Peyton's appointment with her. He remembered saying 'wow . . . now _that_ is exactly what I needed to hear'. The same applied to right now. It felt good to hear that his little girl was okay.

He held her for just a few moments more before grabbing the diaper bag Peyton had packed weeks ago for this and threw it on his shoulder. By the time he was standing up straight again, the baby was already asleep. He smiled, smoothing her hair, and walked up to the house.

He really hated that Peyton wasn't here for this. Ever since she'd told him she was pregnant he'd dreamt of nothing but this. Husband and wife bringing their baby home for the first time to the home in which he'd grown up in the car his uncle left him. He should have known, though, given their history that nothing would be like it was supposed to. It had taken twice for him to propose, they found out they were pregnant before they were married, and instead of a honeymoon, they got a baby instead.

"Here we go, little girl," He started walking up the walkway to the door, pulling out his keys again with his free hand. He unlocked the door, "This is where your mommy and I live, and now you too. Your grandma Karen used to live here too but she and your aunt Lily live on a boat now with Andy."

He opened the door and started walking over the threshold. This was it, she was in the house. The moment was over . . . yet somehow it still felt incomplete.

The baby started to fuss and cry, so Lucas took her into the nursery.

* * *

It had been four days since she'd been sleeping. Four days. Lucas sat back in the chair, a place he'd been a lot while she'd been in the hospital. "You know I, uh-" He stumbled his words. "I'm in a little . . ." He sat up and held Peyton's hand in his. "I'm in a little over my head here. I took her home and, uh, I'm doing the best I can but . . . she needs her mom." He turned to Peyton, practically pleading. " _I_ need her mom." He stared at her, hoping she'd wake up. "She doesn't even have a name." He kissed her hand. "We were supposed to do that together. He shook his head, losing his resolve. "I can't do this without you and I'm just—afraid . . . we're going to lose you and it's just going to be the two of us." He looked at her again, then kissed her hand again. "And she doesn't even have a name."

"Sawyer."

The voice caught him off guard and he looked up, eyes wide.

"Her name's Sawyer, okay?"

Peyton was awake. Her eyes were open and she was looking at him like they hadn't lost any time at all. Lucas just laughed. He hadn't lost her. She came back to him. He reached out his hand and laid gently but firmly held on to his wife's hair. "Sawyer Scott." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "God, you scared me." He held on to the back of her neck and just breathed her in. It felt like it had been ages since he'd seen her awake. "Oh, my god." He kissed her again.

He heard the door open but didn't care who it was. His wife was okay and they were going to be okay and they were going to be a family, all three of them. Lucas and Peyton and Sawyer Scott.

"Peyton?" Brooke stood in the doorway. The blonde looked over to her best friend, smiling. The brunette let out a huge breath of relief

"You said you would disown me if I left without permission," Peyton's weak voice said.

Lucas and Brooke laughed. "Yeah." Brooke, always the emotional one, was crying tears of joy. "I'm about to be your second best girl when you meet your new one."

Peyton turned to Lucas, "Is she okay?"

"She's beautiful," Lucas whispered.

"Can I see her?" Peyton turned from Lucas to Brooke.

"She's right outside," Brooke left the room.

"I should get the doctor," Lucas said to her. He was worried that this was just too good to be true. He wanted to hear the doctor say that she was going to be okay.

"No," Peyton shook her head. He could tell she was still groggy from all the medication. "I just want it to be you and me and our daughter for a minute."

Despite the worry, Lucas felt he'd give her a minute to meet their beautiful little girl. "Okay." He nodded.

The door opened again. "Well, well." It wasn't Brooke who held Sawyer.

"Mom?" Lucas said. Karen Roe held her granddaughter and brought the little one in the room to meet her mother for the first time.

"My baby's had a baby," Karen's voice was full of emotion as she held out the baby for Peyton to take. "And she's beautiful."

Peyton stared in wonder as she held the tiny close to her heart. The sight was too much for Lucas, his wife holding their daughter for the first time.

"Hi, Sawyer," Peyton said to her baby, tears dripping down her face. "Do you remember me? I missed you. I'm going to love you forever." The new mother kissed the top of her daughter's head before turning to Lucas, both of them laughing. Lucas leaned in to kiss her and they stared into each other's eyes. Peyton held on to Sawyer's little foot. "She's perfect."

Neither of them paid attention as Nathan, Haley, Jamie, Brooke, and Julian crowded in the room. Lucas did notice out of the corner of his eye though that Haley's hand rested on her stomach and he realized she must be thinking about when she met Jamie for the first time.

"Hi," Peyton kissed the top of Sawyer's head again.

"She's beautiful," Haley said, her hands now resting on her son's shoulders. Nathan came up behind his family, one hand on Haley's shoulder and the other on top of his wife's hand on their son's shoulder. Julian hovered behind Brooke, probably silently wishing he were experiencing the same with Brooke.

Lucas and Peyton finally acknowledged their other family, but both held on closely to their little girl. "Her name's Sawyer," Lucas announced. "Sawyer Scott. Sawyer, this is your aunt Haley, uncle Nathan, cousin Jamie, aunt Brooke, uncle Julian, and Grandma Karen."

The others all smiled, satisfied with the new member of the Scott family.

"Welcome to the family, Sawyer," Nathan spoke to his niece.

"We're going to spoil you to death, little girl," Brooke said and everyone laughed, knowing that Brooke really meant it.

"Keith would be so proud of the both of you," Karen's voice was small but just as powerful and Lucas looked up at the ceiling, wishing his uncle could be there to see this. But he also knew that Keith was watching and that made him really happy.

He was married, he had a beautiful little girl, and life couldn't be better.

When they'd found out all those months ago that keeping the baby could be fatal to Peyton, he'd wanted to do everything he could to save the love of his life. What he didn't realize then was that sometimes he couldn't save her . . . but sometimes she didn't need to be saved and all he needed to do was have faith in their love and fate and destiny.

He watched Peyton continue to dote on their daughter and knew that the pain of almost losing them both was worth it. He wouldn't change one thing about the last six years because every moment led him right here.

Now they had Sawyer, and he would do anything for her. Anything for his girls.

_The End_


End file.
